Democracy in Iraq and Nigeria

So I was reading this article about Nigeria in the Atlantic (thanks, Ryan!) and I came across a throw-away line in which the author, Jeffrey Tayler, makes a very interesting assertion: "In Nigeria, where one generally votes for one's religious or ethnic brethren, democracy has deepened divisions rather than healed them." I think he is pretty much on the money, and it says a lot about why election after election has not helped Iraq achieve a functional government. When people feel insecure (and not insecure as in "does my hair look ok", but insecure as in "I don't know if I'll be dragged into the street and shot by thugs today"), a clan mentality tends to ensue. If the fundamental conflict in Iraq (and Nigeria) is one between clans, having elections (where everyone votes for a representative from their own clan) buys you nothing. It really is problematic for democracy in many of these cobbled together former colonial holdings. Democracy does not necessarily require an ethnically and religiously homogeneous society, but it does demand one where people don't identify themselves solely by those traits (someone send a memo to the religious right).

Thanks for Nothin'

I wanted to highlight this story by Columbia Journalism Review on the much-publicized $674m in "additional aid" to Africa (credit to Howard Kurtz for pointing it out). I've often noticed a huge gap between Americans' perceptions of our foreign aid programs and the reality. Dirty tricks like this are at least partly to blame...

Looking At the Long-Term

Fresh off his trip to Africa, Russ Feingold wrote a column for CS Monitor on America's failure to engage Muslim nations. He notes that many Muslim nations face a youth bulge in their demographics that presents both an opportunity and a threat. If we fail to engage them, our opponents will be all too happy to fill the void. Also on CS Monitor today is a column on the painfully slow, but still noteworthy progress of the African Union. The challenges face by the AU are many, and any progress is good news. The Western reaction to Darfur has certainly highlighted for Africans exactly how much they can depend on the West for help.

Election Over, We Can Stop Pretending...

...that we care about Sudan. A Washington Post editorial takes the Bush administration to task for "shrugg[ing] its shoulders last week at the genocide". The U.S. led a special meeting of the U.N. security council to a toothless and largely meaningless resolution, then held press conferences to declare victory.

Discussion: International Plea Bargaining

I had similar thoughts when I heard about the push to prosecute Mr. Taylor after getting him out of Liberia. I worry, however, that letting him go free could also set a bad precedent. If the punishment does not fit the crime, are we in danger of partially condoning Taylor's past actions? Furthermore, might this send a message to other would-be dictators and tyrants that detestable actions on their part are not likely to be checked by the international community? I can clearly see the argument both ways and confess that I am undecided on the issue.

Discussion: International Plea Bargaining

There's an interesting diplomatic, legal, and ethical question raised in this CS Monitor editorial regarding Charles Taylor. The editorial advocates for Taylor's prosecution for war crimes, primarily on the grounds that not doing so sets a bad precedent and that his continued presence in the region will hinder rebuilding in Liberia. Personally, I feel that pursuing prosecution against Taylor would itself set a bad precedent. Taylor's exile in Nigeria was, after all, arranged at the urging of the US, the UN, the African Union, and ECOWAS. I see it as a form of international plea bargaining. It was critical to foreign intervention that outside forces come in as peace keepers and not as agents of regime change as the US was in Afghanistan and Iraq. The support did not exist to mount that sort of aggressive operation. In order to create the necessary environment to end the conflict, this offer of safe haven was extended to Taylor, with full knowledge of the charges against him. This strikes me as an important tool in the arsenal of the international institutions in their efforts to make and enforce peace. Prosecuting Taylor after he agreed to the terms set out would effectively remove this option for future interventions. It is clear that the exact details of the offer were never hammered out, nor does it appear the deal ever given any legal force. There is still room to negotiate exactly what the terms are, with regards to Taylor's freedom of movement and his contact with former associates. I think there are steps that can and should be taken to make the conditions of his stay in Nigeria more restrictive. But to my mind it is more important that the basic terms of the deal are upheld than it is that Taylor is brought to justice.